I started writing this entry as a retrospective of the year, but it turned quickly into a list of all the bad stuff that happened in 2005. I got part way into it, realized what was going on, then did a quick :q!

Instead of the Litany of Bad Things, I will just say that despite the bad stuff, some good stuff also happened. More than anything, seeds have been planted that might just make 2006 a good one.

So here’s to 2006, and as T.S. Eliot wrote:

For last year’s words belong to last year’s language / And next year’s words await another voice. / And to make an end is to make a beginning.

Sometimes, you just need a little bit of perspective on your problems.

Happy New Year!

Interesting little tidbit in a Boston Globe story, Sox in hunt for Tejada. While the Padres and Dodgers have been reported as the most likely ‘landing spots’ for pitcher David Wells,

there were indications the last couple of days that Arizona, having cleared Troy Glaus’s contract off the books, might pursue Wells.

No idea what those ‘indications’ were, and pursuit does not equal probability.

While having Wells in our rotation would be intriguing, my fear is two-fold: first, his 43-year-old, 250-pound body’s recent problems; and second, what we would be giving up to get him. And as far as Boston players go, I still have unrealistic dreams about a certain outfielder.

However, I’m expecting Jeff Weaver to get re-signed any day now, which would lessen the need for Wells. Our rotation would be something like:

• Brad Penny
• Jeff Weaver
• Odalis Perez (assuming he’s not out the door)
• Derek Lowe
• Brett Tomko

Which is not too shabby.

‘See ya!’ to ex-Dodger reliever Gio Carrara, who has signed with the Pirates, joining his old manager, Jim Tracy. And how about this dude on FOXSports who’s convinced the Diamondbacks have the NL West wrapped up.

Is it too much to ask to see baseball and hockey games on Mac before I die? ;)

Murky World of Antiquities Trade - this sounds like it would make a good movie:

Three men once dominated the hugely profitable commerce in ancient art. Records detail elaborate schemes they allegedly used to sell looted goods. One was an Italian who got his start peddling trinkets on the streets of Rome. Another was an American expatriate who could close a deal for a Greek vase in six languages. The third was a flashy British dealer whose eye for ancient art dazzled the world’s wealthiest clients….

Updating the site globally today, so you will notice some peculiarities in the feeds. Do not be alarmed. ;)

Continuing the thoughts from yesterday (2005 12 26), another idea I’ve considered is trying VoodooPad as a backend engine for the site, then using its web export feature. Up until recently, however, that feature has been quite lacking. With the new 2.5 release, I’ve thought of revisiting and exploring the possibility.

One severely cool factor is the built-in markup interpretation, so that if (for example) you write using Textile, VoodooPad can interpret it on the fly during export. You can set up a plugin template, two scripts for before and after processing, and other stuff.

How my original yyyy/mm/dd needs might be handled I still need to figure out. :)

With so few days left in 2005, I have been rethinking the transition to Notanda 2 as it relates to the new journal scheme (yyyy/mm/dd vs yyyy_mm_dd) and have all but decided to go ahead and create the functionality I need in the existing php version. That way I’m not held up on 2006 entries waiting for the python rewrite to be finished. It’s a relatively easy addition — just making the search for text files recursive for any directories found in the target, then re-creating that on the server side. Call it the final entry in Notanda version 1…or the last gasp of Notanda 2005. ;)

The alternative is to use a temporary Wordpress installation under 2006, which I can then replace once Notanda 2 is ready. This definitely has its appeal.

Apparently today is flamebait day on Slashdot:

• Is Microsoft Still a Monopoly?
• Steve Jobs thinks Objective C is Perfect?